The meeting, which was the first of its kind to be held, was also attended by the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and interior. Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho and Education Minister Lee Joon-sik double as deputy prime ministers.

Hwang said what matters most at the present time is to establish a firm defense readiness. He then ordered the thorough monitoring of North Korea's movements and best efforts toward carrying out plans related to foreign affairs and defense, including an annual field training exercise that began on Monday.

Hwang also said that the political sector should refrain from raising groundless speculations that could negatively affect South Korea's credibility abroad.

He ordered South Korea's overseas missions to inform their host countries that Seoul's key policies are being pursued normally so that South Korea's cooperation and exchanges with them will see no glitches.